Needle-changing device.



T. H. PRICE L H; B. W'HEELDON. NEEDLE CHANGING DEVICE..

APPLIUATION NILBD APN.29,'1913.

\ 2 SHEETS-s115111? 1.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Ih] l. l Illmlllll wf/T109 Thoma/S H PFL'C@ ILE., M/lzeelcom STATES ATNT @FICE THOMAS H. PRICE AND HARRY R; WHEELDQN, DF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA.

NEEDLE-CHANGING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented time 23, 1914;'

application sied npii'i ze, 191e.I sei-iai No. rea/125.

'To all whom 'it may concern.' Y Be it known that We, THOMAS H. Pinon and Hiinnr R. VHEELDON, citizens of the United -States of America, residing at Lake Charles. in the parish of Calcasieu and rState of L iisiana, have invented certain new and useful Iniproven'ients in Needle- Chaiiging Devices, of `which the-followingmatic means whereby the needlemay be' automatically removed from the reproducer and another needle automatically replaced therefor'.

Another object of tliis'invention is the lprduction of a needle magazine which may be attached to any desired machine for the purpose of supplying needles to the` reproducer.

`With these andother objects in View, this i invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements ot`v parts, as willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

This invention ris illustratedv theac' companying drawings, Whereinz--l Figure 1 is a top plan View of the graphophone showing the ldevice applied thereto. Fig..2 is a perspective View of the magazine appliedto `the graphophone. Fig'iB is a longitudinal section of the magazine. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken 'online 4 4 otFig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail .perspectire of the needle carrying portion Vof the reproducer.- ltig. 6 is a side View of the vopposite side of theneedle carrying portion of the reproducer. Fig. 7 is a trans* ieisesection taken through the needle engaging portion.l Fig. 8 is a detail perspective of the needle-retaining orengaging cam.

By referring 4to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen thatl designates the graphophone which carries the usual disk 2, and the tone arm 3 is employed in the usual manner. and carries the reproducer 4 at its rear end. This reproducer 4 vcarries a needle carrying frame 5 which needle carrying frame 5 is provided with a vertically extending notch 6 in which tits the needle 7. The needle carrying member 5 is pivotally mounted between the downwardly 'extending ears 8 of the reproducer and is connectedto thev diaphragm of the reproducer by means of the usual arm :9; needle gripping cam.10 is rotatably mounted Within the needle carryingbodv 5 and this cam ii-ts ina pocket 11 formed in The cam 10 is provided 'the boch/ 5 as is illustrated clearly in Fig. G L

y with a flat portiony .12 for facilitating the placing of the needlethe corner.' of the. -cam is adapted -to iirnily grip theneedle 7 as indicated clearly in 5- for holdingV Within the notch G and the needle .in engagement- With the-needle carryingl body or frame 5.

end of the cam 1 0 is-proyided' with an enlarged head 13 and this enlarged head -13 is'provided with a vdepending 4hook 1 4 vthe opposite end of the spring being conmeans of a pin7 nected to .the body '5 by screw, or other'suitable fastening means 16. The spring 15 isso. connected to the 'cam 10 as to'normally hold the same in engagementvwith'the pin 7 toA preyent the pin `from adcidentall-y falling out of the. bo'dy orl holder 5. Theihead 13 is provided-`with a rearwardly extending releasing arm 1T,

which releasing'arm is adapted to be swung when brought in Contact with the -inaga'zine to be `lier'einafterdescribed, .whereby the.

needle contained VWithin the needle carrying body may be'drop'ped from tleneed'le containing or carrying bod'y'5.

A needle carrying reservoir '1S' is posi-l Which engagesone end of the spring 15,

The.- opposite es.r

tioned upon the body 1 and to one sideof',

tlie'graphophone disk record 2' ask is illus#- 'tratedin Fig. 1,A and is so positioned as to 'allowy the reproducer [to passover'the' needle releasing portionv of the 'magazine' `vwhen the tone arml is 4removed fromthe" record by stv-inging the saine 'to the left.' This magazine comprises an'elo'ngate'd body having a channel portion 19 exten-dingalong one edge thereof, and Within this channel portion 19 is 'positioned an operating plunger 20, lwhich plunger is provided 'with va plurality of perforations 21 in Whichnre adapted to be.carri'ed the needles 22. A' coil spring Q3 is connected to the'fortiard end of the plunger 20, and this springt-isf also connected tothe opposite end of the channel 19 so as to normally exert a pulling pressure upon theplunger 2O and keep the forward pin at all times in engagement.

with the stop bridge 24, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2.

The magazine 18 is provided centrally thereof with a bridge portiOnQjupon which esl ios

- provided with :a notched portion 27 adapted to receive the needles 22 for the reproducer. These needles 22 are placed onv an incline in the plunger 20 so as to be in proper position tov be taken by the needle supporting head or frame 5. The lower end of the nee: dle supporting head '5 passesvortravels upon ihetrack' and as the reproducer is swung toward the magazine so as to all'ow the lower end of the needle carrying frame or body to operate upon the track-26, the releasing finger 17 of the cam 10 will ridefup the camshaped track 2'8, lsaid track 28 being-in a higher plane than track 26 and y" terminating at the channel 19. the finger' 17 travels u'p-track 28, said finger will rotate-against the tension of spring 15, thereby causing camto rotate and release the needle. As the reproducer continues its movement toward the magazine, the slot 6 is brought into position to receive a' new needle, and simultaneously the finger 17 passes the higher end of track 28, whereupon the lspring acts upon said finger and causes the cam 110 to rotate to a position that causes the said cam to clamp the new needle inl the'slot 6. The reproducer is then raised to withdrawv the needle fromfthe plunger QO'and .returned to operativeposition on the disk 2.

'From the foregoing'description, it will be seen that asimpledevice hasbeen produced for automatically releasing -the needles from dle carrying lOOdY:y

thereproducer and refilling the same with needles, and it should be -understood that when the needles are released from the'neetheJ same will drop do-wn to oneside'ofthe channel portion y19 and the .needle carrying portion will, be ready to re- `40' move another needle from the plunger 20L It,'of course, should be understood that the device mayjbevaried in its minor details of mechanical'"construction without departin 4from the spirit ofthe invention.

A lloer and provided aving thus described the inventioinwhat lis claimed as new, is:-

1. In a graphophone attachment of the class described the combination with a neej dle carrying member of a reproducer prol vided with a vertically extending groove,' a cam rotatably mounted lwithin said memwith a flat portion, said cam adaptedtocngage a' needle for detachably holding the same within said groove, a sprlng for. holding said cam in firm engagement wlth a needle, a rearwardly ex#- `tending finger secured to said cam, a reservoir, a plunger slidably mounted within said reservoir, a stop plate secured to said reservoir, a' plurality of'needles carried by-said plunger, ,means for pulling said "plungera into 'a forward position, and la cammember carried by'said reservoir and adapted to engage said rearwardly extending finger for releasinga needle from said/needle carrying member 'of said reproducer, said plunger being adaptedy to'hold said needles in the path of movement of said needle carrying member of saidv reproducer for supplyingv needles to said needle carrying member of said reproducer after a needle has been discharged therefrom.

'2. A reservoir for supplying needlesto a..

Teproducer comprising ajbody provided with a longitudinally extending channel, nce dle-carrying plunger slidably mounted with in said channel, a spring secured to 'one end .-of sa'idplungerand adapted to hold t'he samein .an operative position lwithin said channel, a stop plate secured to said channel member and' overhangingsaid plunger, and an inclined wall secured to said reservoir and positioned to one sideof said channel, y said inclined wall being adapted toengage the needle releasing portion of a reproducer for releasing a needle therefrom.

13. A reservoir for supplying needles to a reproducer comprising a body provided with a trackfway, a needle carrying plunger slidably mounted upon said tr'ack-way, tension means securedtol said plunger for holding the same in an operative position upon said track-way, a stop means secured to said track-way and overhangingsaid plunger,

and an inclined wall secured to said reservoir and' positioned-to one side of said trackway, said inclined wall being adapted to enf' gage the needle releasing portion 'of said reproducer for releasing a needle therefrom'. In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix our signaturesin presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. PRICE. HARRYR. WHEELDON.- -Witnesses L THos. H. OBRYAN,

D. M. FosTnR, J r. 

